“Your letter of the 18th, and, what will please you, as it did me, the parcel sent by the good-natured aid and abetment of Mr. Croker, are arrived.—Messrs. Lewis and Hobhouse are here: the former in the same house; the latter a few hundred yards distant.
“You say nothing of Manfred, from which its failure may be inferred; but I think it odd you
should not say so at once. I know nothing, and hear absolutely nothing, of any body or
any thing in
| A. D. 1817. | LIFE OF LORD BYRON. | 137 |
“If I understand rightly, you have paid into Morland’s 1500 pounds: as the agreement in the paper is two thousand guineas, there will remain therefore six hundred pounds, and not five hundred, the odd hundred being the extra to make up the specie. Six hundred and thirty pounds will bring it to the like for Manfred and Tasso, making a total of twelve hundred and thirty, I believe, for I am not a good calculator. I do not wish to press you, but I tell you fairly that it will be a convenience to me to have it paid as soon as it can be made convenient to yourself.
“The new and last Canto is 130 stanzas in length; and may be made more or less. I have fixed no price, even in idea, and have no notion of what it may be good for. There are no metaphysics in it; at least, I think not. Mr. Hobhouse has promised me a copy of Tasso’s Will, for notes; and I have some curious things to say about Ferrara, and Parisina’s story, and perhaps a farthing candle’s worth of light upon the present state of Italian literature. I shall hardly be ready by October; but that don’t matter. I have all to copy and correct, and the notes to write.
“I do not know whether Scott will like it; but I have called him the ‘Ariosto of the North’ in my text. If he should not, say so in time.
“An Italian translation of ‘Glenarvon’ came lately to be printed at
Venice. The censor (Sr. Petrotini) refused to sanction the publication till he had seen me on the
subject. I told him that I did not recognize the slightest relation between that book
and myself; but that, whatever opinions might be upon that subject, I would never prevent or oppose the publication of any
book, in any language, on my own private account; and desired him
(against his inclination) to permit the poor
| 138 | NOTICES OF THE | A. D. 1817. |
